Ignition-detector and spark-intensifier



A. Q. NASH.

IGNITION DETECTORv AND SPARK INTENSIFIER.

APPLICATION FILED APILZG, 1918.

1,338,521, Patented Apr. 27, 1920,

A l Q unna/410111111410110 251s gay.

ALEXANDER e. NASH, or KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

IGNITION-DETECTOR. AND SPARK-INTENSIFIER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 27, 1920.

Application led April 26, 1918. Serial No. 231,030.

i 'a citizen of the United States, and resident disposed in the ofKansas Cit inthe vcounty of Jackson and vState of Kfissouri, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Ignition Detectors andSpark Intensifiers, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to apparatus for indicating the condition of thecontrolling circuits for a gasolene engine. The invention includes adevice which is intended to indicate the condition of the circuit andwhich may perform the functions of a detector, to enable the operator ofa gasolene engine 'to ascertain whether the sparking apparatus isoperating properly in all the cylinders; itv also operates to performthe function of an intensifier by insuring a sufficiently strong currentto produce an effective spar in each cylinder.

The general object of the invention is to produce a lsimple apparatusfor this purpose which will provide a spark gap at which the spark maybe observed, in this way indicating whether the current 1s passing inthe controlling circults.

Features of the invention relate to the supporting means for theterminals between which the spark gap is formed and also to the meanscooperating therewith to control the flow of the current through theterminals.

In the preferred form of the invention, I employ a freely movablecontact which is spark gap, and features of the invention relate to themeans for holding the terminals in a substantially vertical position sothat the supportingsurfaces for the movable member-will be substantiallyhorizontal.

The invention consists in the general combination of the parts andfeatures to be particularly described hereinafter all of whichcontribute to-produce a simple and efficient ignition detector andspark-intensifier. preferred embodiment of my. invention will beparticularly described in the following specification 'while the broadscope of m invention will be pointed out in the appen ed claims.

In the drawing, v

Figure 1 is a vertical section through apparatus embodying my invention,and including a diagram of the wiring ywhich may be used with theapparatus, l

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken about on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1, upon areduced scale, Fi 4 is a plan of a portion of a bracket whic constitutesa feature of the invention, the terminal which is supported by thebracket being indicated in cross section, an

Fig. 5 is a vertical section through the device showing a modifiedconstruction for my invention and indicating how it can be applieddirectly to an ordinary spark-plug. eferring more particularly to theparts, in carrying out my invention, I provide a plurality of sparktubes 1, 2, 3 and 4,' each of which corresponds to one of the cylindersof the en ine lindicated at 5 (see Figs. 1 and 3). ach engine cylindercarries a spark plug 6 and these spark plugs 6 are wired in parallel,with the different s arking tubes in series with the plugs. ig. 1illustrates the preferred construction of each sparking tube, each ofwhich com rises a short length of a translucent tube if which may be ofglass, and the ends of this tube are provided with caps 8 -and 9 whichmay be sealed to the tube by means of cement so as to form ahermetically sealed sparking chamber within the tube-i These caps arepreferably of insulating material, and the lower cap 9 carries a fixedterminal 10 the outer end of which projects from the head 9 and engagesa bracket 11. The upper terminal 12 passes into the interior of the tube7 through the upper cap 8 and engages with an upper terminal bracket 13.These brackets are simply bent pieces of conductive material such asbrass, and conductors fthe current to the distributer from a bat- `tery20 or other source of current which is grounded or connected to theengine as at 21 so as to form a complete circuit through each detectortube. V

The terminals 12 are preferably adjustable, for which purpose they havea screw connection with the cap 8 and pass down intothe interior of thetube, the innerend being provided with an enlarged condenser sparkingcondition I prefer to provide a freely movable conductive member whichmay be in the form of a small metal ball j 25 of steel or any othersuitable conductive material. If the width of the spark gap is properlyadjusted by means of the threaded terminals 12, and their coperatingclamping nuts 26, the spark will jump from the ball to the upperterminal head 22 or vice versa, and the ball will jump up and downbetween thel faces of the terminal heads thereby keeping the faces ofthe heads clean.

It is desirable that the-lower surface 24 which supports the ball 25should be substantially horizontal; in other words, the tube should beheld with its axis in a substantially vertical position. As theinstrument board of different automobiles may be at different angles, Iprovide means for adjustably supporting the tubes in a verticalposition, whatever may be the relation of the support to them. Thismeans preferably comprises a movable mounting back or board 27 to whichthe brackets 11 and 13 are secured by means of the terminal bolts- 18and 15 respectively, and I refer to mount the board withfthe tubes whlchit carries in a suitable case28 which may be of simple box form,provided with a front window 29 of lass, the upper edge of the l.windowframe fbeing attached by hinges 30 so that the frame can be swung upf togive access to the interior of the case. he ends of the back or board 27are provided with -studs 31 which project through the side walls 32 ofthe case and operate as trunnions on which the back may swing. Betweenthe walls 32 and the ends of the back, spring washers 33 are provided,and the outer portions of the bolts 31 are provided with nuts 34 andcheck nuts 35; from which arrangement evidently the back 27 will bereadily adjustable into a vertical plane, even 1f it should happen thatthe case 28 is. disposed in an inclined position, such as it would haveif lit is mounted in an inclined instrument board 36.

I provide means :for cutting out the detector tubes, if desired, so thatthe ignition l circuit will not pass through them. For

this purpose I provide a multiple switch which is preferably mounted onthe rear side of the back or board 27. This multiple switch is of verysimple form and consists of a lever 37 corresponding to each terminalbolt 15, the heads of which operate as contacts to be engaged by theswinging bly mounted in a bracket 40 attached on the -forward face ofthe back 27. VThe rear portion of this stem extends through the wall andis bent around so as to form an arm 41 the end of which is bentforwardly so as to form a pintle 42. By inspecting F ig. 2, it will beevident that if the stem 39 be rotated in a left hand direction, the arm41 will swing toward the left and the levers 37 may be moved intoengagement with their corresponding contacts 15. Evidently the circuitwill then short-circuit through the switch levers 37`and cut out thedetector tubes. The stem 39 passes to the exterior of the case through aslot 43 in the forward wall of the case. (See Fig.f3). It is necessaryto provide this slot on account of the necessity for tilting the back 27to-enable it to maintain a vertical position, as it may be necessary toattach the case in an inclined position as indicated in Fig. 1. On theouter end of the stem, means is provided such as a thumb head 44 toenable the stem to be rotated from the exterior. The ydetector tubes aredetachably mounted in the brackets 11 and 13. For this purpose the lowerend of the terminal 10 projects froni the cap 9 and is received in asocket in the form of a small cup shapedv depression 45 formed in thebracket 11. The upper bracket 13 is in the form of a plate with aslot'47 extending in from its edge,y and into the open end of which theterminal 12 maybe' l passed in putting the tube in position.l Thebracket 13 is also provided with a 'slight bend or bow l46 on which thenut 26 seats, and as the bracket is of resilient material this bendcoperates with the nut to get the effect of a check nut. In this way thenut 26 not only operates to enable the terminal 12 to be secured in anyadjusted position with respect to the terminal head 23, but it will beevident that by` loosening it up, the entire tube can be readilydisengaged or detached from the back. In doing this the lower bracket 11which is slightly resilient may be sprung downwardly.

In some cases it may not be desired to mount the tubes withinv the bodyof the automobile, in which case they can be attached to the outer endsof the spark plugs. Such an arrangement is shown in Fig. 5 in which 48indicates the outer end of the spark plug, which is assumed to be in aninclined position. In Aorder to enable my sparking tube to be attachedto it and held in a vertical position, I provide a bracket 49, one armof which is attached to the binding post of the spark plug by the nut50. The other arm is horizontal and supports the sparking tube 51 in avertical or upright position. This sparking tube has substantially thesame construction as that indicatedin Fig. 1, except that the lowerterminal 52 seats directly onthe horizontal arm of the bracket 49 towhich it is secured by a thumb screw 53. This terminal 52 has \acircumferential wall 54 within which the lower end of the translucenttube 55 is cemented, the upper end of the tube being 'cemented in-ametal cap 56 through which the adjustable terminal 57 passes downwardly.The lower end of the terminal is formed with a terminal head 58 whichcooperates with the part 52 to form a spark gap in which a ball 59 isheld. The glass Ytube 55 is enveloped in a cylindrical casing 60 of hardrubber or similar material, the lower end of which is threaded to theouter sideof the wall 54 of the lower terminal or cap 52. The upper endof the tubular casing is formed with an opening which receives acircular boss 61, on the underside of -a cap screw 62, which cap screwseats on the upper end of the casing 60. The conductor 63 is secured onthe cap screw by a suitable thumb nut 64. The cap screw 62 has athreaded connection with the threads of the terminal 57 and henceoperates as a check nut. Diametrically opposite points of the wall ofcase 60 are provided with sight openings 65 through which the spark gapis visible.

The terminal heads will also operate in the usual manner of condenserplates to build up a diiference in the potentlal at the gap, and as longas the current is able to jump this gap the spark plugs will be assuredof a good hot spark.

Itis obvious that any number of switch levers 37 and correspondingcontacts 15 may be employed, and one pair may be provided for thestarting circuit of the engine, in which case my apparatus will indicatethe condition of the starting circuit as well as the condition of theignition circuit.

It will be noted that as the terminals 10 and 12 are connected in theregular or normal ignition circuit the ap between them has the effect pfintensi ying the ignition spark. That is to say, if the current isstrong enough to jump the gap between ythe heads 22 and 23 a goodignition lspark will be formed in the cylinder; in addition to thistheheads operate as condenser plates which operate to increase theelectricity that will collect in the ball, thereby increasing theactivity of the jumping movements of the ball. In this way the terminalheads tend to increase the efficiency of the ball in keeping theirsurfaces clean.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments my invention may take, and I do notwish to be limited in the practice of my invention nor in my claims, tothe particular embodiment set forth.

1. An ignition detector and spark-intensifier comprising the combinationof a translucent tube, insulating caps mounted in the ends of the tubes,a terminal extending inwardly into the interior of the tube .from eachof the caps, said terminals being connected in series with the sparkplug of the engine and disposed apart to form a spark gap in theignition circuit visible through the tube, and a freely movable metallicball held by said tube between said terminals .operating to intensifythe spark at the spark plug and as a detector to indicate whether aspark is being formed at the spark plug.

2. An ignition detector and spark intensiier comprising the combinationof a translucent tube, insulating caps mounted in the ends of the tube,a terminal extending inwardly into the interior of the tube from each ofthe caps', said terminals being connected in series with the spark plugof the engine, condenser plates carried by said terminals and disposedapart to form a spark gap in the ignition circuit visible throughthetube, a freely movable metallic ball held by said tube between saidcondenser plates operating to maintain the faces of the condenser platesin a clean condition, and means for adjusting the distance between thecondenser plates.

l3. An ignition detector and spark-inten siier, comprising thecombination of a translucent tube, caps mounted in the ends thereof, aterminal extending inwardlyinto the interior of said tube from each ofsaid caps, a terminal head carried by the 'end of each of said terminalswithin said tube, said terminal heads being disposed apart to 'form aspark gap visible through said tube, a freely movable conductive bodyconfined in the spark gap by said tube and said terminal heads, asupport for said parts, and means l for adjustably holding said supportin a position to maintain said tube in a substantially luprig'lfitposition.

4. An ignition detector and spark-inten Vsifier for a gasolene engine,comprising the combination of a translucent tube correspending to eachcylinder of the engine, said tubes having caps in the ends thereof, aterminal extending inwardly into the interior of each tube at each end,the adjacent ends of said terminals of each tube 'coperating to on theface of said back, each pair of.

brackets being connected in a circuit to a corresponding cylinder of theengine, a translucent tube with caps at the ends thereof, removablymounted. between each pair of brackets, each of said tubes having, a

` terminal passing into the interior thereof from each end of the tubeand engaging its adjacent bracket, the adjacent ends of said terminalscoperating to form a spark gap within each tube visible through thetube, and a freely movable ball of conductive material confined in thespark-gap between the terminals of each tube.

6. An ignition detector and spark-intensifier, for a gasolene'engine,comprising the combination of an adjustable supporting back, bracketsdisposed in pairs mounted on the face of said back, each pair oi'brackets being connected in a circuit to a correspondin cylinder, of theengine, a translucent tu e with caps at the ends thereof, removablymounted between each pair of brackets, each of said tubes having aterminal passing into the interior thereof from each end of the the tubeand engaging its adjacent bracket, the adjacent ends of said terminalscoperating to forma spark gap within each tube visible through the tube,a freely movable ball of conductive material confined in the spark-gapbetween the terminals of each tube, and a multiple cut-out switch forcutting out each pair of terminals from their corresponding circuit.

7.' An ignition detector and spark-intensifier for the gasolene engineof an automobile comprising the combination of a case to be mounted inthe automobile body, an adj .1stable supporting lback within said casehaving means for holding the same in a substantially vertical plane, apluralit of translucent tubes supported on said back each tubecorresponding to a cylinder of th engine and having aV pair of terminalsprojecting .into the tube from the ends thereof connected to the inition circuit for the corresponding cylin er of the engine, each pairof terminals within each tube beingdisposed apart and coperating to forma spark gap, a metallic ball confined in each spark gap by theterminals, a cut-out switch carried by said su porting back, for cuttingout said termina s, and means for throwing said switch, said meanshaving an operating part projecting to the exterior'of the case.

8. An ignition detector and spark-intensifier for the gasolene 'engineof an automobile, comprismg the combination of a case to be mounted inthe automobile body, lan adjustable supporting back within said casehaving means for holding the same in a'substantially vertical plane, aplurality of translucent tubes supported on said back, each tubecorresponding to a cylinder of the engine and having a pair of terminalsprojecting into the tube from the ends thereofconnected to the ignitioncircuit for the corresponding cylinder of the engine, each pair ofterminals within each tube being disposed apart and coperating to form aspark gap, a metallic ball confined in each spark gap, a cut-out switchcarried by said supporting back for cutting out said terminals, saidcase having a slot on its forward side and said switch having anoperating stern extending through said slot, said stem having a thumbhead on the exterior of saidy case for operating the switch.

9. In apparatus of the class described, the combination of a supportingback, a bracket attached thereto and havin an arm with a slot,projecting from said racket, a coperating bracket opposite said firstnamed lracket, also carried by said supporting ack, said coperatingbracket having a depression therein, a tube .having a terminal in eachend, one of said terminals projecting at one end of said tube to bereceived in said depression, the other end of said terminals bemgreceived in said slot and having a nut for clamping the same to thebracket, said lslotted bra et having a bend. at said nut and being ofresilient material to coperate with said nut in securing the terminalthereto. L

10. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of asupporting back, a

bracket attached thereto, and having an arm i with a slot extending infrom the edge `of said first named bracket also carried by saidsupporting back, said coperating bracket vslot being disposed r`so as`to permit the entrance of the terminal into thejsame by thelateralmovement of that terminal when the opposite terminal is placed insaidsocket,"

andv a .nut on thel terminal adjacent said slotted larm for .clampingthe "terminal 120 thereto. v l l,

Signed at St. Louis, State of Missouri this 23rd day of April A.191,84.,

VALEX-innen Q'. NASH.

10"5 said arm, a coperating bracket opposite

